Bathypurpurata profunda
| Bathypurpurata profunda | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Bathypurpurata | ||||||||||||
| Piatkowski , Vecchione & Allcock , 2005 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Bathypurpurata profunda | ||||||||||||
| Piatkowski, Vecchione & Allcock, 2005 |
Bathypurpurata profunda is a small cephalopod from the genus Bathypurpurata , in which it is the only species . He lives in the southern ocean . The genus and species were first scientifically described in 2005. The description is based on a single sexually mature female.
features
anatomy
The coat is spherical and has a length of 23 millimeters. The total length of Bathypurpurata profunda is 80 millimeters.
The tentacles reach 2.5 times the length of the mantle. The side arms are slightly longer than the rest. The ability to throw off individual arms at a certain point in case of danger ( autotomy ) is not available. Each arm has a number of equally sized suction cups . There are 43 suction cups on the longest pair of arms. There are no enlarged bowls. The webbing is made relatively low, with only 20% of the arm length for a deep-water species.
The gills have 4–5 lamellae per demibranch . The funnel organ has a W-shaped appearance. Bathypurpurata profunda does not have an ink bag. The posterior salivary gland is very large at around 45% of the length of the mantle.
Appearance
The surface of the skin is usually purple in color. Like all real octopuses, Bathypurpurata profunda can adapt its skin color to any surface in its environment. This camouflage is based on a combination of different chromatophores and a change in the texture of the skin.
The skin is cracked. On the dorsal side of the mantle there are small wart-shaped structures called papillae. There is no skin comb.
habitat
So far only one specimen of Bathypurpurata profunda has been found off the South Shetland Islands in the southern ocean . It was caught at a depth between 509 and 565 meters.
Reproduction
The eggs are relatively large with a diameter of 4 millimeters and reach 18% of the length of the mantle. The female produces a very small number of eggs. Only 8–10 pieces.
research
The purple hue of the skin has faded on contact with preservatives.